1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors to be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) and, more particularly, to a low profile electrical connector for a coaxial cable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Japanese UM Patent Application Kokai No. 61-99980 discloses a coaxial cable connector to be mounted on a PCB such as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The connector includes a tubular conductive shell 110 having an upper opening 111 for receiving a mating connector and connection terminals 117 extending downwardly for connection with a PCB. A pair of dielectric blocks 120 and 130 are fitted into a lower half of the conductive shell 110 for supporting a terminal 140. The terminal 140 has an upper tubular contact portion 141 for receiving the central terminal of a mating connector and a lower projecting portion which is to be connected to a conductor of the PCB.
The upper half of the conductive shell 110 defines a space for receiving a mating connector and has circumferential slits for forming resilient finger members which firmly grip the conductive shell of a mating connector upon plugging.
However, the conventional coaxial cable connector has the following disadvantages:
(1) The connector has a space for receiving a mating connector above the contact portion 141 of the terminal 140 so that it has a high profile and is not usable in limited spaces.
(2) It is difficult to make the tubular conductive shell 110 and the tubular terminal 140 with high precision.
(3) The distance between the terminal portion 140 and the contact portion 141 is so small that the soldering flax can adhere to the contact portion 141, making a poor contact with the central conductor of a mating connector.
(4) It is difficult for an assembling robot to grip the tubular conductive shell. In addition, the circumferential slits make the conductive shell so weak that it is easy for the robot to deform the conductive shell, further lowering the accuracy.